UAE on track

A system of marking tobacco products that enables them to be tracked from their place of production to their point of sale will go into effect in the UAE on January 1, according to a story in the Gulf News.
The relevant rules state that, as of May 1, 2019, it will be illegal to import designated excise goods into the UAE that do not have such markings. In addition, as of August 1, 2019, it will be illegal to supply designated excise goods in the UAE that do not have such markings.
The rules were announced by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the deputy ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance, and chairman of the Federal Tax Authority (FTA).
The rules will apply initially to cigarettes but there are plans to expand the system to take in all tobacco products.
The scheme is said to be aimed, in part, at establishing an ‘integrated, accurate and effective control framework’ that supports efforts to combat tax evasion.
Under the scheme, pack markings will be registered in the FTA’s database.